CHEVROLET AT POMONA
What: 54th Auto Club NHRA Finals
When: Friday, Nov. 9-Sunday, Nov. 11
Where: Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California
TV: FS1 live eliminations and finals, 7 p.m. ET Nov. 11
Chevrolet Drivers Aim to Wrap Up Championships at Pomona
Hight seeks second consecutive Funny Car title; Gray looks to secure Pro Stock title
DETROIT (Nov. 7, 2018) – Twenty-three races stretching 273 days and encompassing hundreds of launches form a standing start on a narrow 1,000-foot proving ground have been a prologue for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) championship-deciding season finale.
Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California, hosted the first race of the season in February – where 2017 Chevrolet champions Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Bo Butner (Pro Stock) were feted again before the rigorous campaign commenced.
This weekend, the racetrack 30 miles east of Los Angeles will host the Auto Club NHRA Finals, and Hight and sophomore Chevrolet driver Ta[nner Gray aim to wrap up titles in their respective professional categories in the last of six races in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.
The event features a points-and-a-half format, so each elimination round will be accentuated.
Hight, driver of the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, enters the event second in the Funny Car standings as he seeks to become the first Funny Car repeat champion since teammate John Force in 2001-02. Hight has posted four victories, including two in the Countdown, and three runner-up finishes this season.
“We are behind but we are going to go in there very aggressive and try to gobble up every point we can get,” said Hight, who has four career wins at the racetrack.
“All we can do is what we can do. We’ve already won both AAA races this year and we need to win the third. That’s going to give us the best possible chance to win two championships in a row.”
Gray, 19, is seeking to follow up his 2017 NHRA rookie of the year season with being crowned the youngest pro champion in NHRA history.
The Pro Stock front-runner has won a class-high seven races in 10 final-round appearances driving the Gray Motorsports/Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro SS and holds a 140-point advantage over five-time class champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
“It’s the only goal I have,” Gray said. “One of the things that’s helped for the success this year is everyone having the same mindset and same goal. We’ve been able to click, and for the most part it’s been a really smooth season for us. I’ve learned from all the mistakes I made last year and I knew what to expect going into the Countdown this year. It’s made everything a lot smoother.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Preview →
